15 Things You Should Do When You Find a Burst Pipe

Nick GerhardtDec 19

A burst pipe is the last thing anyone wants to tackle. But there are some quick temporary fixes you can do to slow the impact of a burst pipe.

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Shut off the Water

When water freezes, it expands in volume by about 9 percent. And it expands with tremendous force: The pressure inside pipes may go from 40 pounds per square inch to 40,000 psi! No pipe can hold that much pressure, so it breaks open. The break may occur where the ice forms, but more often, it occurs where water pressure finds a weak spot in the pipe. That may be inches or even feet from the frozen area. You might also need to shut off the electricity as well, depending on where the leaks occurs and how big it is.

Open a Faucet

Call a Plumber

Unless you feel comfortable trying to repair a broken pipe on your own, you’re probably going to need a plumber at some point. You can, however, do several things before calling the plumber that will help reduce the impact of a broken pipe.

Start Getting Rid of the Water

Grab the mop, buckets and a shop vacuum to start to get rid of the water because you certainly don’t want it soaking into everything else in the house. Plus, a quick clean up will reduce the chances of something getting moldy.

Turn up the Heat

Set up fans to blow heat into cold rooms. Keep the garage door closed.

If you have reduced water flow, heat the most vulnerable pipes (usually in basements and crawl spaces or near exterior walls) with a hair dryer. Leave the faucet on while you apply heat. As you melt ice, the flow will increase.

Place a Piece of Rubber over the Leak

Add a Block of Wood Before Adding a Clamp

If you’re in a pinch and don’t have the necessary tools around to stop the leak, you can improvise by adding a block of wood over the piece of rubber before fastening a clamp. The block of wood will spread the pressure and help prevent the pipe from collapsing.

Grab a C-Clamp

Cut Out the Damaged Pipe

If you’re a little more well-versed in plumbing repair, you might take the next step and cut out the damaged area of the pipe.

Shut off the main water supply valve, drain the damaged water line and use a pipe cutter to cut out a section of pipe that extends about 1 in. to each side of the leak. Start by gripping the pipe firmly in the cutter’s jaws and tightening the cutter’s screw. Rotate the cutter in the direction shown—as you tighten the screw handle—until the pipe snaps.

Slide on the Repair Sleeve

Slide an end of the sleeve first over one pipe and then slip it back over onto the other. You may have to loosen nearby pipe hangers. Center the sleeve over the pipe ends so that about 1/2 in. of each pipe is inside the sleeve.